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Church of the Three
The Church of the Three, also known as the Church of Tolerance or simply the Trinity were a large cult founded in the Orjeri Union in Farthrone that broke away from their perceived heretical cousins and traveled to Etan establishing a colony. They have since been dealt a series of blows to their establishment that threatens to undermine its existence altogether. History The Church of the Three began as cult within the Orjeri Union devoted to the demon lords Graz'zt, Dagon, and Fraz-Urb'luu, emerging after fall of the Empire of Turath. When these three entities fell out of fashion however the influence of the church also faltered with its leaders placing blame on the heretical beliefs of those the Union had conquered corrupting the Highborn. Shardfall For more on this, see here. The event that led to the Church seeking a new place to worship was Shardfall. Where the Church saw the falling crystal as a chance for rebirth where the worthy would be saved, the leaders of the Union suppressed the Church's call to accept fate and embrace the dark gods and instead focused on various proactive attempts to destroy the Shard. Following the insult of being silenced during the Union's moment of triumph the Church elected to move itself west to Etan where it would begin anew. They established a settlement on what is now Stovakor which survived trading with the few other settlers from Farthrone and making little progress in converting any Etanian natives. Pelor's Glory For more on this, see here. Eventually once word got back to the Union that their was a settlement on Etan surrounded by rich forest a second wave of colonists arrived and took control of the colony, renaming it Vorakor. The Church was once again forced west where they were stopped by the Sang River and the swamp in the other side, it was their they once again rebuilt their church and established the City of Tolerance. Long Night For more on this, see here. During the Long Night many humans in the Sang region were killed whilst the Church sealed the city and then their Temple when the vampires breached the walls. The Protector's Rebellion The Trinity was forced into exile following the successful rebellion by the noblemen of the countryside led by Edric Tane. They were smuggled away into various hideaways by Lord Lang, father of Vera Lang, where they plan and scheme to attempt to retake their city. Divine Era For more on this, see here. During the Divine Era, the cultists of the Three have become far more active, though few above ground will have noticed their activities, as much of their work has been done below the surface in the Boneways where they have been enacting dark and terrible rituals unseen by the outside world. War in the Silence For more on this, see here. The Three expanded massively in the Silence, though their leadership was aware that with the arrival of the exarchs meant they still could not return to open worship, instead bidding their time and building followers. Organisation The Church of the Three is divided into three groups, each devoted to one of the three figures they venerate with each being led by a high priest(ess). Hierarchy The leaders of the Church of Three are Maress the Witch, Belorique of Many Hands and Monacus the Forgotten. They lead the worship of Graz'zt, Dagon and Fraz-Urb'luu respectively. Restructuring Over the centuries the cult has been reorganised multiple times, as effectively three cults whose leaders came to an agreement centuries ago, there has ever been a divide between each of the branches of the cult. The most recent change has been the decision to abandon their attempt at being an open mainstream religion and instead begin to operate in the shadows. Beliefs Those that Seek Within The name given to those that worship Graz'zt, are those that seek pleasure above all else, but curiously they practice abstinence and enforce strict rules to their members outside of the activities of the cult itself. For instance, a new member will be inducted by an emissary of the demon lord with a night of debauchery, but afterwards will be expected to show considerable restraint in refraining from pleasure altogether. The belief of the cult being that by abstaining from such acts for ones own pleasure, it makes the acts all the better when performed in the name of their patron. Led by Maress the Witch, a human demonologist that has sought to understand many of the mysteries of the Abyss. Under her leadership the cult has spread into places of learning and politics, controlling brothels, bathhouses and reputable inns. Blackmail, entrapment, and coercion are their tools. Those that Seek Below The name given to those that follow Belorique, who have followed their marilith mistress into the Boneways to search the underground seas that hide creatures that have long forgotten the light of day. These cultists have little contact with the rest of the world, obsessed with finding their master deep below the lightless waters. This arm of the cult seeks to find their lord and bring him to this plane. They believe the answer to this lies deep within the Boneways where forgotten secrets from the Dawn Wars wait to be discovered. Those that Seek Beyond The name given to the worshipers of Fraz-Urb'luu within the cult, led by Monacus a cambion half-breed said to have been tricked into leading the cult devoted to one of his most hated enemies, his own father. There are two types of cultists that follow Fraz-Urb'luu; those that know they follow him, and those that do not. Many of the followers of this deceptive entity have been tricked into helping him, manifesting to desperate paladins during the Silence of the Gods as their patron claiming to be testing the world but only their faith has proved worthy, or before a weak willed scholar of the arcane seeking forbidden lore to allow them to advance to the next spheres of magic.Category:Organisations Category:Demon Category:Fiends Category:Abyss Category:Orjeri Union